Summer Heat
by blu-babe
Summary: HxB of course! Botan has a thing for the fire demon, Hiei has a thing for the ferry girl. Koenma is upset because it was meant to be. Please read. Rating may go up.
1. Chapter 1

The first time she met him, he scared the crap out of her. He was rough, he was tough, and he was mean. He growled at her, he threatened her life. But somewhere along the line, his bark became just that; bark. He had lost his bite, to her at least.

They say that the bark is worse than the bite, and it's true. But even his bark has lost the terror it used to instill in her. Of course, she'd NEVER tell the poor guy. He was humiliated enough by being forced to work on the team, imagine his shame should he find out that he couldn't even scare a girl like her!

She idolized him too much to bring him that much shame. It was just easier to act scared.

Yeah, she idolized him. Hell, she was fairly certain she was developing a schoolgirl's crush on him. But, again, that would shame him too greatly. And she could never do that.

To see his eyes become dulled, to watch the fire that burns inside him die would kill her. To never see his sexy, evil, cruel smirk again would break her heart. And Enma knows he'd never smirk at her, if he even looked in her direction, ever again if he knew what it did to her. Every time he did, she practically melted into the floor.

She knew her heart was his a couple days ago. He'd actually come to a party for once, and somehow Kurama had made her anti-social idol play truth or dare. That was miracle in itself, but what Kurama had gotten the boy to say...she almost thought it wasn't really her boy.

Up until that night, they had all thought that he hated them completely. You think you know some one, eh? He has a grudging respect for each of them. Yes, he still calls them names, and idiots and such, but he respects them all. Even her. He valued their friendship.

Her heart had fluttered in her chest so hard and she had never been so happy since she had died to hear such a small compliment.

Her heart would always be his. Too bad he only had a minimal respect for her. Maybe he'd have more respect if he knew why she refused to tell a soul her feelings and respect for him?

She respected his pride too much to test her theory though, so she'd probably never know.

Her blue hair fell around her body like a silken curtain as she sat on her bed with her legs drawn tight to her chest. Her heart sometimes ached as the realization dawned on her. He'd never know how she felt, and he'd never return those feelings.

But, even through the pain of a longing heart, she knew it would be worse if she told him. Because then her heart wouldn't be longing, it'd be broken. She'd take longing over broken any day. It's like choosing between a broken toe and an amputated foot. It's no contest.

Her window was open and letting the softest of breezes. The wisps of wind were warm, like the night and the day earlier. It was going to be hot for a long time. A week or two at least.

But she didn't mind. She could spend all the time in the world here on this hot plane, if she could only see him every now and then. And since she was living with his sister, she knew she'd see him daily. He was staying here every night after all. Now if that wasn't heaven she didn't know what was.

The bed sheets were warm beneath her, and she shifted so she was sitting on a different part of the sheets. The new spot was cool, but only for a moment. She envied the koorime asleep in the next room over. Ice demons weren't affected by the heat, but then, neither were fire demons. Or were they?

The warmth of the sheets began to irritate her skin and she carefully slid off the bed, putting her bare feet on the cold hard wood floor. Goose bumps rose on her arms and legs from the temperature change. With a light breath she walked carefully out of the room she was staying in, not bothering to grab her house coat, it was still far too warm to be using anything that thick and fluffy.

She slowly padded her way down the stairs, intending to stop in the kitchen and grab a bowl of ice cream. It was the perfect choice to cool her down, and the sugar would help to chase her idol from her mind.

She tiptoed past the living room, knowing that a certain someone was taking up residence on the couch. He would have just stayed outside in his tree as usual, but it was too warm, and at least in here he could have a fan blowing pre-cooled air on him. Or that's what his sister claimed.

Stepping gently over the floorboards she knew would squeak, she entered the kitchen with a sigh. Finally. She had been very tempted to take a peek at the sleeping boy on the couch. No doubt even he wouldn't sleep fully dressed. His shirt would have probably been taken off, perhaps even his thick black pants. She figured he seemed more like the boxers-type.

She shook her head of the mental image she had conjured and opened the freezer. The icy air swept over her and she moaned quietly. That was the stuff, exactly what she needed. Perhaps she'd take an ice bag with her when she went back to bed. Yeah, that'd be just what the doctor ordered.

She reached into the freezer and pulled out a small bucket of strawberry ice cream, shivering as the coldness of it spread through her fingertips and up her arms. She set the treat on the counter and closed the freezer, instantly missing the cold air it had generated.

She walked across the kitchen and opened a cupboard, searching for a bowl. The cupboard was empty. "They're all in the sink Botan-chan." She froze and looked back at the table in the middle of the kitchen. There, sitting in front of the bucket of ice cream was her idol's sweet sister, holding two spoons.

The house wasn't very dark, and she could see the cute little smile on her friend's face. "Oh Yukina, you scared me. I thought you were asleep." The koorime shook her head, her soft teal hair flowing like water with the motion.

"Sorry Botan-chan. It's just too hot for me to sleep." Smiling, she walked over to the table and sat across from Yukina. "I guess, since the bowls are all dirty, we'll just have to eat the ice cream out of the bucket, ne?" With a chuckle, Botan took one of the spoons from Yukina, "Yeah, it does taste better this way."

She peeled the lid off of the strawberry ice cream and dug her spoon into the sweet, soft, treat. Yukina followed and stuck the ice cream in her mouth first. "Mmmm."

As they sat there in the darkened kitchen, enjoying the icy cool treat, Botan couldn't help but think of the only person she knew to love the sweet 'snow' more then her. He was barely ten feet away, she could wake him up, ask him to join them. But would he? No. He'd just grunt at her, send her a glare and go back to sleep.

She smiled minutely to herself and stood up, "I should see if Hiei-kun would like some ice cream too. You know how he loves it." Yukina nodded, knowing that the dark, grouchy boy would refuse. If only because it was her friend the ferry girl who asked. But she knew how her friend treasured the chance to talk to the boy.

Botan stepped into the living room and walked slowly around to the front of the couch. She was surprised when a callused hand shot out and gripped her wrist tightly. "What do you want, baka?" His gruff voice splashed through her mind, leaving hardly a trace of any thought behind. Her heart pounded in her chest at his grip, it only hurt a little bit. "I was just going to ask if you would like some ice cream."

She kept her eyes trained on his face, not looking him straight in the eye, but not looking over his exposed body. Her theory had only been partially right. His shirt was off. But again, her respect for his pride kept her from ogling his beautiful muscles.

His lips slanted ever so slightly into his smirk and her heart sighed. He was going to say no, she knew, but at least she got to see him smirk at her. How she loved his smirk.

"Baka onna, if I wanted sweet snow, I'd just take it." She licked her lips discreetly, her mouth felt so dry. He was still holding her wrist. She sought out his eyes when his smirk grew. His deep red eyes swam with dark amusement and they seemed focused on something in particular.

She looked down at her nightgown and blushed ever so slightly. She had almost forgotten how short this one was. It was pretty much just a long silk tank top. "W-well, then I'll just go back and enjoy it with Yukina." She pulled her wrist out of his grip, missing the warmth even though she was already plenty warm.

She backed away from him and walked back into the kitchen quickly.

Yukina was giggling over the ice cream as she sat down, still blushing. "Oh Botan-chan, you forgot how little you were wearing, ne?" Botan nodded with a sigh, "Indeed I did." Inside she was grinning like an idiot. He hadn't exactly complained about her state of dress, had he? Her naughty mind conjured a picture of him touching her shoulder softly and she pinched herself hard.

Yukina scooped out some more cold ice cream still giggling at her friend. "Oh you are hopeless Botan-chan." Botan dropped her spoon on the table, her mouth open in shock. "W-what?" Yukina's laughter stopped, she knew she'd just said the wrong thing.

"Botan-chan," She started nervously, she had known for a few days now, she could easily see Botan's admiration of the boy taking up residence on her couch, "you are just so forgetful."

Botan hid her sigh of relief with a fake laugh, "Indeed I am." She could only pray that Hiei had gone back to ignoring them. Oh what would she do if he had heard that, and knew what she was afraid of saying? Ok, not so much afraid of saying, just too kind to say. It'd hurt his pride after all.

On the couch, with his eyes half-closed he heard their whispers, but his body was too warm for his brain to follow their meanings. He shifted uncomfortably on the leather couch, wishing he had taken off his pants, and pulled the bandana off of his forehead. It was just keeping in heat that he wanted to get rid of at the moment.

The fan blew cool air over him, but his body was just too warm for it to make much of a difference. He shifted into a sitting position and looked at the kitchen before standing up. Perhaps some ice cream would do him some good.

He stiffly stepped onto the tiled floor, walking over to the freezer first. He could smell that the ice cream they had out was strawberry. He only liked chocolate, because it was dark like him, but sweet like his sister. Sometimes, his demon senses helped him avoid awkward situations. Like peeking over the shoulder of the scantily clad ferry girl.

The tub of chocolate ice cream was almost twice the size of the bucket that the ferry girl and his sister were sharing, and following their example; he merely grabbed a spoon and sat down. It would be a waste of precious energy to wash out a bowl he would just keep refilling.

Botan looked at him nervously, and set her spoon on the table. "I should probably head up to bed. I have to meet with Yusuke and Kuwabara in a few hours." She did have to meet with the two boys, but she was fairly certain she wouldn't have to be in tip-top shape to deal with them this time. They'd most likely be too bored and hot to goof off any way.

But his eyes kept flickering over to her, and her heart was beginning to flutter. She had only asked him to join them because she had thought, and known, that he would refuse as he always did.

Yukina nodded, but Hiei scowled. She could only assume it was more about the fact that neither he nor Kurama were included in the meeting tomorrow then her leaving once he sat down.

"Good night Botan-chan." Yukina sounded a bit disappointed, but Hiei didn't say a thing. Botan put her spoon into the sink and walked back over to the freezer, "Is it alright if I take an ice pack with me? The heat is giving me a headache." Yukina nodded to her friend, and Botan grabbed one of the ice-cold ice packs before leaving the kitchen quickly.

Yukina turned to Hiei once Botan was gone and frowned. "You should tell her brother." She had known for a while now that Hiei was her brother, but by his request did not tell the group that she knew. He snorted and dug his spoon into his tub of ice cream, "Tell her what?"

Yukina smiled slyly and twirled her spoon around in the slowly melting strawberry ice cream, "That you are going into heat next week, and she's the one you want." He growled at his sister and shoved a large bite of ice cream into his mouth. He still had no idea what had compelled him to tell his sister about the dream he'd had two months ago, during his last heat.

She somehow managed to make him say almost anything. "That baka is too afraid of me to see that as a compliment, like it is." He could see the hint of fear in her eyes every time he was near her. It wasn't as strong as it used to be, but it was still there, and if his honor code weren't so strict, he could easily override whatever fear was left and just replace it with lust for a day or two.

"Oh, I don't think she's really all that afraid of you any more, brother." Yukina said knowingly before taking another bite of ice cream. By now her whole body was numbed and chilled. She finally felt tired. She stood up from her chair, the wooden legs scrapping noisily against the tiled floor. She put the lid back on the bucket of strawberry ice cream and set it in the freezer.

"She is afraid of me. Imouto, I can see it in her eyes." Yukina set her hand on her brother's shoulder sadly and whispered, "She is afraid. But not _of_ you." Before leaving the kitchen and her brother to reflect upon what she had said.

The sun blared down from the sky angrily, burning everything it touched. And so, that was why two exhausted teenaged detectives of the spirit world were hogging all four of the fans Botan had set up in the living room. She was leaning against the decorative fireplace, a paper fan in her hand being flapped mercilessly in a desperate attempt to cool her down.

The boys were sitting on the couch that Hiei had occupied only a few hours before, both trying to ignore her.

"Guys!" She snapped, tired of being ignored, "If you don't start listening to me, I'm going to have to cut off the power to those fans and throw you outside into the blistering sun." That had of course caught their attention. Quite well too. "Hey!" "No fair!" She stuck her tongue out at them and pulled one of the four plugs, just to make sure they paid enough attention.

"Koenma wants to thank you for working so 'hard' to keep the unruly demons in line." She didn't know why they hadn't paid attention before. She wasn't assigning them a mission after all. It was a _free_ vacation at a private resort outside of Tokyo. Reserved for spirit world employees.

"His idea of a reward is more work." She had to admit Yusuke had a point there. So far every time Koenma said 'reward' it involved more work. Usually for her though. "This time, Yusuke, reward means a 'free' vacation. The resort isn't very busy at this time of year. Do you not want to go to the Rekai resort just outside of Tokyo?"

The detective seemed to be teetering on the fence until she mentioned the word 'free'. And indeed, it was going to be completely free for them. 'Them' not including her. To be honest, Koenma didn't want to reward them yet. But she felt that they deserved it. It had only cost her _most_ of the money she had saved from the last two hundred years of work. She figured if they were taking a break, they were doing it in style. She had rented out the whole penthouse floor.

The front door swung open, capturing the attention of only the two detectives. They were shocked to see Hiei storm inside, his face and neck sun burnt to a nice, bright red. Hiei's eyes skimmed across the two idiots and stopped on Botan. "It's hot outside." She glanced at him, and couldn't find the will to continue flapping her fan. His tank top clung to each of his muscles. His pale skin was tinged with an angry red from the sun and his lips were drawn back to the most devilish sneer.

"No one is in the guest bathroom, you can have a cold shower if you'd like, Hiei." She bit the inside of her lip to keep from running her eyes over his beautiful body, she knew he wouldn't appreciate it. Especially with twiddle dee and twiddle dumb in the room.

He nodded and stalked past her, his arm barely brushing against her, heading for the guest bedroom. That was, of course, the one Botan was occupying each night. He could see clothes strewn over the floor, and two damp towels clumped together on the end of the bare bed. His mind began to wander as he stepped into the bathroom. There was a fresh towel on the rack, but for some reason, he almost longed to use the ones sitting on her bed.

With a shake of his head, he undressed and stepped into the shower, turning the cold nozzle on full blast. He had forgotten about the heat outside for the moment, and had only turned on the cold water out of pure habit. It seemed that for months now, every time he spoke with Botan he needed a cold shower. That was probably how Yukina had begun to notice his affections for the girl.

Under his strict request, Yukina had been forbidden from informing Botan she was occupying his room. Every one was to believe that it was an unused guestroom. He didn't want anyone to think he was becoming tame. He was nothing if not proud and independent. And he was not nothing.

Botan could feel the odd looks that Yusuke and Kuwabara were giving her, but refused to blush and stutter. "What? Is it so odd that he has come to _Yukina's_ house?" Kuwabara was fuming mad, he still didn't know that Hiei was Yukina's twin brother, but Yusuke could only shrug at that and agree. "I guess not."

"Kuwabara, stop moping please. I'm offering you two and your families a free vacation. Do you not want it or what?" She crossed her arms, still with out the will to fan herself. The two young detectives narrowed their eyes at her, "What's that supposed to mean?" She sighed in discontent and unfolded her arms so she could fidget with her tank top. "We only reserved the top floor, and I can't go to the resort. Yukina graciously offered to let me stay here with her."

Yusuke rolled his eyes and stood up abruptly, "What about Kurama and Hiei?" She twisted her shirt between her fingers and sighed, "Kurama doesn't want to leave his mother's side for a week, and Hiei wouldn't go if you promised him a license to kill without question." Well, he probably would have. What's one week of torture compared to the legal right to kill whomever he wanted with no repercussions?

"Keiko is going too, just so you know. And you are all going to enjoy this vacation, it cost me about eight million yen." For a minute, all that could be heard was the running water upstairs and several fans. "Eight million yen?!" Kuwabara said confused, "I thought you said it was free?!" "It is free. For you two idiots. And don't you even think about saying no, I won't get the money back any way."

* * *

There chapter one. I have plenty more already written.

When I was writing this (back before this massive heat wave we have right now) I felt like I was in a sauna. I was so into what I was writing that I felt like I was right there in the stuffy summer weather wit Hiei, Botan and Yukina.

To me, that means my story is well written; I hope you all feel the same!


	2. Chapter 2

The grandfather clock in the main entranceway of Yukina's lovely home chimed ten times, but Botan and Yukina could barely hear it from the back porch. The sun was only just setting into the mountains now, and they were watching the sky shift from shades of blue to bright orange and red.

"Yukina, hav-er-I….umm….never mind." She couldn't do it. She fantasized about Yukina one day being her sister in law, but she couldn't say and ask such things at all. Would the ice apparition even understand what she meant any way? How many people really liked someone too much to ruin their (the other person's) pride by confessing?

The koorime shook her head softly, wondering if perhaps she should tell the deity what her brother was afraid to say. She knew that what Botan was afraid of was not her brother. At least not directly. Speaking of him, she figured he'd probably show up on the couch soon, she wished she could at least tell Botan that she was residing in Hiei's room.

"What was the meeting about today?" Botan closed her eyes, seeing Hiei in her mind's eye, holding a baby. "Oh I was just forcing those two to accept the vacation." The baby had beautiful red eyes, and long blue hair.

Yukina glanced at her friend, recognizing that dreamy tone, and gasped in shock. "Botan, are you okay? You're crying." The ferry girl shot up right and tried to wipe away the renegade tears, "I'm fine…I was just thinking of my family." She prayed that Yukina wouldn't sense the lie. Yes, she'd been thinking of Hiei and their baby, but she didn't exactly have that family, did she?

Inside, Hiei was pulling his tub of ice cream out of the freezer when he heard their conversation. He was a bit shocked, he'd never _seen_ Botan cry, and he could only imagine what sort of family she'd have to have had in order for her to cry about them.

He felt compelled to scan her mind and find out, an urge he was readied to blame on his heat. But who was he to continue to deny such a strong urge he knew would not just evaporate? He pulled off his bandana, about to open up his Jagan eye when they spoke again.

"Yukina…do you respect Hiei-kun?" Botan asked calmly, fisting her hands in her lap. She just had to ask it now; she could feel her heart getting ready to break. "Of course, he is very strong. And cares for us all a great deal." A blush slowly spread across her cheeks and Yukina sat up to look her in the eyes. "You like him, don't you Botan-chan?"

Botan gasped and looked around quickly, making sure no one else could hear, unable to see Hiei in the kitchen. "How could you tell? I thought I was hiding it so well…"

_Hiei dropped the tub of ice cream in surprise and cursed when the icy treat landed on his foot painfully. "Fuck!"_

_Botan and Yukina gasped and rushed into the kitchen, surprised to see Hiei holding his foot and the tub of ice cream lying on the tiled floor. "What happened Hiei-san?" Yukina asked, concern sweeping over her. He never cursed, and he never actually showed pain. Was he in shock or something?_

_"I dropped the sweet snow on my foot." Botan bent down to pick up the tub of ice cream, praying to every single one of the gods she knew that he had not heard her moment of weakness confession. "Go sit down and I'll bring you a cold compress. Not even a demon can say that a frozen tub of ice cream landing on their bare foot doesn't hurt." His eyes were trained on her as Yukina helped him out of the kitchen. As soon as she could no longer feel his eyes on her, Botan groaned._

_How could she have been so careless! She should have never confessed! Stupid! STUPID! Yukina walked back into the kitchen, grinning like there was no tomorrow. "Oh Botan-chan, he wants to talk with you." Botan felt her heart stop. "Oh god no…he heard us then?" This was it; he was going to tear her a new throat. "Calm down Botan-chan, I don't think he's as mad as you think he is."_

_Botan shot up and placed the ice cream on the counter heavily, "You don't understand. He's nothing if not proud, and what's his pride going to be like if the girl he threatens is in love with him?" She was speaking so lowly that Yukina could barely even make out her words. "Botan-chan…I know he's volatile at times, but I think you're over reacting."_

_Botan shook her head and slowly made her way to the living room cursing all the gods she knew. Cursing herself for her weakness. Damn her pathetic heart!_

_Hiei was sitting solemnly on the couch, his eyes were closed and his ever-present smirk was gone. She felt her heart break a little at the sight of him. She knew it, he was beyond pissed. He was probably disappointed, and that in her mind was the worst thing he could be. "Onegai, don't be mad! I swear I'll never breathe word of it again, please!" She fell to her knees, folding her hands in front of her face desperately, hoping to maybe get off with just a warning._

_He opened his ruby red eyes calmly, and she could see trouble swimming in their depths. She should not have been so foolish as to believe he might let it slide. She closed her eyes tightly, waiting for him to shout or make a fuss, waiting for him to strike her. As he watched her display of utter terror, he felt his heart break a little. She was still scared, even though she liked him. "Get off your knees onna." He sort of liked seeing her on her knees, but it only fueled his naughty thoughts. And he had to keep focused if he was going to do this._

_Botan stood up without opening her eyes and let her hands fall to her sides sadly. Begging had never really worked on him. "You were foolish to assume begging forgiveness would erase what I heard from my mind." What was he doing, reading and repeating the things she was shouting at herself? She peeked open one eye when she heard him move, and was taken completely by surprise._

_He was grinning. It was like one of his smirks…only happy? She had to be seeing things. Perhaps he was barring his fangs at her to try and frighten her? Oh and what beautiful, white fangs they were. His mouth was a dentist's wet dream! Such strong, straight teeth. He'd probably never even had a cavity._

_Hiei was indeed grinning, he was indeed happy, and most of all, he had never had a cavity, he was using his Jagan eye to tap into her thoughts, and she didn't even seem to notice. It was perhaps a little bit weird to hear her thinking such things in such an adoring manor, but he appreciated the attention. "Why would I want forget something like that? But Botan-chan," He drug out the syllables in her name, making her knees wobble slightly._

_"Y-yes, Hiei?" She asked breathily, her eyes locked firmly on his. "Would you prefer I pretend to have never heard such words from your pretty little mouth?" Botan swallowed hard as his voice consumed her. Did she really wish he hadn't heard? No, she didn't. She was quite glad that he finally knew it was a great weight off her shoulders. But, why was he not yelling?_

_Yukina was watching the whole thing from the kitchen and groaned with impatience, "Hiei-san, either tell her, or kiss her already!" She whined, gaining the attention of her brother and a flustered Botan very well. "S-say what?" Botan asked, confusion swarming in her mind. What was Hiei going to say or do?_

_Hiei scowled at his sister and crossed his arms; "I was going to."_

_He stepped closer and closer to the confused and flustered ferry girl until they were barely a centimeter apart. "Botan, I want you." Botan's eyes went as wide as saucers and she looked past him to Yukina for clarification. Her friend didn't move. "Y-you want me to what? Leave you alone?"_

_He chuckled and cupped her face with his hands, pulling her down to his face so they were eye to eye. "No. I just want you." He crashed his lips onto hers and she melted into his arms without question. For the first time in a long time, she felt like everything was going to be okay._

Botan woke up disoriented the next morning, to the only sound in the house. Running water. Yukina was probably taking a shower.

She closed her eyes and hung on tight to the memory of her dream. She knew it was obviously a dream because Hiei would never kiss her. Well, only part of it was a dream. Most of it had happened. Hiei just hadn't been there to overhear the conversation between herself and Yukina.

At least, she didn't think he'd overheard.

The crafty ice demon had actually confronted her about her feelings for Hiei. That amazing fire demon. That amazing fire demon whom had spent the night at Kurama's.

He did that a lot over the years. She knew Kurama was a dear friend of Hiei's, even if the stoic demon would never say such a thing.

The sound of the running water stopped, and she sighed. Perhaps Yukina would want to go swimming today? That would be a nice way to beat the heat.

Botan heaved herself out of bed and made her way downstairs, not bothering to change out of her nightgown, figuring that only Yukina was here.

The still drowsy ferry girl walked into the kitchen, not lifting her head high enough to see the many people gathered in Yukina's home. She pulled open the cupboard above the coffee machine and grabbed a mug. She was going to need coffee to stay alert and keep her mind from wandering around Hiei after that dream.

"Uh, Botan?" The unexpected voice startled her into spilling the coffee all over the counter. She turned around quickly, and felt quite dim for not noticing the people sitting around the table. Koenma was leaning against the table, his face completely red.

She looked at the young prince, "Koenma sir, I didn't see you there." Her eyes traveled over the group of people. They were all from the Rekai. She knew them quite well; they were the ones who decided when a ferry girl would marry. And who they would marry.

"Daito-san, I do believe you made me a deal when the Rekai tentai saved your life." She couldn't believe they were here. She didn't want to marry; especially not if they were picking her husband.

Koenma cleared his throat and crossed his arms, "That may be Botan, but you can't be excused from this. Daito should have never made you that promise."

Yukina strolled into the kitchen as Botan began plotting ways to kill her boss. "Hello Koenma-sama, it's nice to see you." The ice apparition frowned as she noticed the several people sitting at her table. "Is there something wrong?"

The young prince flinched at the girl's question. "No, nothing is wrong. Its just time for Botan to meet with the council." Botan sighed in despair at her boss' words. She didn't want to hear the council tell her she had to marry a man she did not love. And have children that would not have the beautiful and flawless traits of Hiei.

"Please sir, reconsider. If you force me to marry, my work will only go down hill. I will have to work less and less." Silence filled the crowded kitchen as Koenma absorbed Botan's words. He knew he would have to make that sacrifice if he wanted Botan to marry some one he approved of.

With determination Koenma crossed his arms and opened his mouth to speak, "Botan-"

They all jumped as the front door opened, and something fell heavily to the ground, cutting off the prince of hell. There was a swirl of blue and teal hair as both the ferry girl and ice apparition ran to the front door in panic.

Botan forced herself not to cry out in shock as she realized that Hiei was lying on the floor, covered in blood. Yukina didn't have a chance to begin healing her dearest brother, for Botan beat her to it.

The white magic flowed through her fingertips and she began to concentrate on closing his wounds.

Koenma hurried into the room when he felt the surge of white magic in the air, the council followed silently behind him.

The fire demon groaned painfully as the last of his wounds closed itself up, flesh stitching together, muscles rebuilding themselves, strand by strand.

His ruby red eyes opened only wide enough to see that it was not Yukina, his sister, whom was kneeling in front of him expending precious energy, but Botan.

With a groan he slowly pushed himself off the floor until he was resting on his knees. His muscles were screaming at him to stop, they felt like lead, unwilling to move.

He slowly took notice of Koenma and the council, standing behind his dear sister and closed his eyes. Great. What was the toddler going to do now? Renew his sentence? Wasn't sending those blasted half-breeds after him bad enough?

Koenma grimaced as Hiei attempted to stand. Those stupid half-breeds should have killed him. "Koenma, with all due respect, I don't want to go back to the Rekai. I bought myself two full months in the Ningenkai. You can't force me to do anything until those two months are over."

Botan gave her boss a firm look, and assumed that his second grimace was over the fact she had got him, rather than for the fact that Hiei was using her as support to stand.

Koenma scoffed at Botan; his head ferry girl would not get out of doing this today. If she did, if he tried to wait the rest of the two months she'd end up mated to Hiei. And he definitly did not want that.

"No, Botan. You know very well that matters of this level of importance cannot wait."

Yukina could see the confusion etched onto her brother's face; he had no idea what the hell was going on. She could change that awfully quick. She owed it to her brother and the ferry girl.

"Koenma sir…I don't mean to pry into other peoples business, but please reconsider. Botan-chan obviously isn't ready for marriage. It would only serve to push her away from her friendship with you to force her to marry."

Hiei fought against the urge to shout and let his eyes shoot open. That's what this was all about?! He was trying to force Botan to get married? To whom?

Botan watched the worry cross Koenma's face and smiled at Yukina. Crafty ice apparition! Oh she could hug the shorter girl, but Hiei was still using her for support.

As she recalled that Hiei, the beautiful, strong, possessor of her heart, was clutching her shoulder, leaning almost completely against her, her heart sighed in joy. If time froze and she was stuck like this forever, she'd be happy.

The young prince of hell groaned. How could Yukina be so perceptive? Did he dare to think she might want Botan to be Hiei's mate?

Daito tapped Koenma on the shoulder, his fellow councilmen knowing exactly what he was going to say.

"Lord Koenma; if we may be so bold, this council believes that we should let this marriage of sorts run its own course. We believe that for once, the prophet may have found the better match." His words drifted over to Botan and she felt her heart pound in her chest.

"Who did the prophet say I was to marry?" She asked, hoping and praying that he would say what she wanted to hear. Oh how she wished he was going to say Hiei's name.

Daito sent her a devious smirk, and his eyes flashed with anticipation. "The most powerful demon to have ever existed." Her heart skipped a beat. She knew that look! He gave that look to all the ferry girls when he decided their husbands! That was his binding promise! She was going to marry whomever the hell he was just talking about.

She felt Hiei's grip tighten on her shoulder, and his hair ticked her neck as he lifted his head enough to see Daito.

The old spirit winked briefly at the demon before turning to face his companions.

Hiei felt his heart begin pounding against his chest, eager to make his body recover strength. He had a mate to claim, and he would need to do it before Koenma sent anymore half human thugs after him. Stupid law.

Koenma could practically see the future of the Rekai going down the proverbial drain. "Daito, you can't do this! Think about the repercussions!"

The council turned to the fussing prince and nodded. "We have. None will directly or indirectly harm anything. The only variable is your temper tantrum."

Koenma glared at Botan, unable to talk the stubborn council out of their decision, "Botan, if you care about your job, you will not marry that demon."

Botan felt Hiei's muscles tense up at the threat, but she could only smile at her jealous boss. "You would never fire me. Hiei's sentence lasts only as long as I work in Rekai. I had Enma arrange it."

Koenma growled and summoned a portal, what was so great about this union that he could not see?

Yukina, Botan and Hiei watched the council follow Koenma through the portal. This morning had been far more eventful than Botan had anticipated.

The kitchen was quiet as Botan washed the dishes. Not a moment after Koenma and the council had left, Hiei had passed out. Yukina had helped her drag Hiei upstairs to the room Botan had been occupying.

She turned the tap on to rinse out a bowl as she recalled the fuss Yukina had made over putting Hiei up stairs. He would probably sleep right through the night, and Botan would then have to stay on the couch.

She pulled the plug in the sink to let the water go down the drain, she wouldn't mind sleeping on the couch. It smelled heavily of pine and musk, it would be like sleeping in Hiei's arms.

The clock on the wall ticked away happily and Botan sighed. It was only noon. And yet she felt so drained. Perhaps a nice long nap would do her some good.

She walked into the living room and collapsed onto the couch, she inhaled the scent of her beloved fire demon before drifting off to sleep.

Yukina and Hiei stood at the foot of the stairs, he had only woken up a few minutes before, and they watched Botan as she slept on the couch.

"Brother, you have to do it tonight." Yukina turned her gaze from the sleeping deity to her bandaged brother. She wished he would tell her what had happened, instead of brushing off her concern.

Hiei kept his gaze trained on Botan's unconcious form. He knew his sister was right. The longer he waited, the more Koenma would try to interfere.

* * *

Chapter 2!

I hope it's pretty good.

And thanks for the reviews!

Chapter 3 will be a special one; it'll be about Hiei's nigth at Kurama, and being attacked by the half demons! You'll find out if Hiei really DID hear Botan's confession, without her knowing!


	3. Chapter 3

**-chapter 3 -**

Botan shifted on the couch as she slowly awoke from her nap. Everything seemed hotter than usual. She sat up and looked around, everything was bathed in a deep orange glow. With a glance at the window she realized it was sunset. The sun was using its last few minutes to try and make every living thing remember its warmth.

She pushed herself off the couch and headed for the washroom. She needed a shower badly. She turned the cold water on high and began to strip off her shirt. She hadn't even realized that she had forgotten to close the bathroom door. She started to pull down her skirt, not hearing the approaching footsteps.

Hiei had heard the water running, and noticed that the bathroom door was quite open. He wasn't aware that Botan had woken up yet, and he knew Yukina was out at the store, so he didn't know who turned the water on. And he was curious.

As he approached the bathroom, he saw that the couch was empty. He was about to turn around and investigate the empty couch when he heard the sound of heavy clothing hitting the tile floor in the bathroom. His curiosity getting the best of him, he walked quickly over to the bathroom door and took a quick peek, at first only wanting to identify the user of the shower.

But he couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight before him. Botan was standing in front of the mirror, running her far hand through her long, sweaty blue hair. He felt the blood rush away from his face as he looked over her body. With newly uncomfortable pants, he realized the only thing his blue haired beauty was wearing was a small triangle of black cloth held up by three strings. Three strings he could bite through so easily. He swallowed hard, trying to pry himself away from the door frame; he was above watching the woman undress, his mind scolded.

Botan looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. Koenma's reluctance to let her marry whomever she was supposed to made her wonder. Why was she not the one Koenma wanted to be married to the demon? She had always thought she looked decent. Her body, which she had specifically asked for, wasn't really too chubby, nor was it all that busty. Perhaps that was it. Koenma didn't think she was skinny enough or busty enough.

She ran her hands over her stomach, it was only just barely round; so unlike the flat one she'd had in life. She drew her hands up to cup her breasts. She'd always liked them, not too big, and not too small. But now she wasn't sure. Maybe she should go back to Rekai tomorrow and have them reconstruct her body? She bit her lip, maybe that would be best. It's not like any one would really complain, or even notice. The two perverts of the group were gone for a while.

She pulled off her underwear and turned to get into the shower. She spotted the open door out of the corner of her eye and she screamed slightly. "Shit, I left the door open! Damnit Botan why are you such a baka?!" She scolded herself as she went to close the door.

Hiei watched as she closely examined her body, and it took every ounce of his self control not to drool. She stripped off her last bit of clothing and he had to leave quickly. If he didn't put some distance between himself and the ferry girl, he wouldn't be able to hold himself back. The thought of ravishing her drew him back towards the bathroom.

When she closed the door, Hiei turned around dejectedly. True he could break down the door, but that would terrify his beloved. And he didn't want to scare her away.

Botan climbed into the shower and welcomed the cold water over her overheating body. She was definitely going to go get her body re-shaped tomorrow.

-

Yukina walked through the front door, carrying seven large bags of food, and waited for her brother to come and take some of the extra bags, but she was greeted by Botan instead. "Oh Yukina, let me help you with those." She said as she tried to take four of the heavy bags. "No, no, you're my guest. I can handle the bags."

Botan shook her head at her koorime friend, "Nonsense Yukina. I owe you. You saved me from my boss this morning. And I wouldn't feel right asking your help for tomorrow." Botan quickly plucked five bags from the ice demon's hands and made her way into the kitchen. When Yukina walked into the kitchen she raised an eyebrow at her brother. He was sitting at the table, shoveling back chocolate ice cream like he would be dead in the morning. Botan noted the look on Yukina's face and chuckled. "He hasn't moved from that spot in an hour." She pointed to the two empty ice cream tubs beside him for emphasis.

Yukina sighed and set her bags on the table, "Hiei-kun, would you help me put away the groceries?" She knew he'd say yes. He never denied her anything. Hiei looked up from the ice cream, which he had turned to after a long cold shower had done nothing to cool his body, and mind, down. He clutched his spoon tighter before sticking it in the ice cream. Botan placed her bags on the table, accidentally drawing Hiei's attention to her.

The fire demon immediately sunk back down into the chair he had been slowly standing up from, and shoveled some more ice cream into his mouth, trying as hard as he could not to blush. He just couldn't look at Botan the same now. He thought she was beautiful fully clothed, but nude…now that was something.

Yukina rolled her eyes at her brother's actions. If he wasn't careful, Botan was going to start taking this the wrong way. She looked over at where her blue haired friend had been standing, but found only an empty space. She saw Botan climbing up the stairs and sighed. "She took that the wrong way brother." She said simply, opening the first bag and placing a box of cookies on the table.

"Yukina?" Botan called from the top of the stairs, "Could you come here for a minute? I need help." She waited for the ice apparition, starring at the mirror on the wall with disgust. Even Hiei seemed to have developed enough distaste for her that he would start pigging out on ice cream if he caught a glimpse of her. Was he trying to tell her he thought she was fat?

Yukina walked into the room that Botan had been staying in and found her glaring at the mirror. "What do you need help with Botan?" Botan turned to face Yukina sadly, "Am I fat? Am I ugly? Why doesn't Koenma want me to marry a demon? Is it because I'm not good enough?" Yukina was taken aback by the barrage of questions. "Botan-chan, you are most definitely not fat!" Botan nervously crossed her fingers in her lap, "I…I'm going back to Rekai tomorrow. Just for a couple hours…I'm gonna get my body remade…"

Hiei had, out of curiosity, followed Yukina up the stairs and stood in the hallway so he could hear the conversation. He almost growled as Botan degraded herself. She was perfection. Why couldn't she see that?

"Why would you want to rebuild your body? I like you just the way you are Botan-chan." Botan fidgeted and looked at the mirror again, "I…I just don't like the one I chose any more. I just want to have my flat stomach and old bust line again…I miss them." She lied, remembering just why she'd chosen a smaller bust and slightly bigger stomach. "Well; I can't make you change your mind, Botan." "Would you go with me? I have to have someone to bring me back here, because it's a bit like plastic surgery…I'll be feeling all drugged up afterwards."

Hiei was torn between marching into that room and telling Botan she was already perfect, and letting her go and get bigger breasts. He had to admit, bigger was always better. He walked back down the stairs, his mind placed firmly on the thought of a new and improved Botan. As long as she wasn't doing this because she felt she had to.

Yukina nodded, there wasn't much else she could do. "As long as you know we all love you no matter what you look like." Botan smiled sadly, "Yeah. I know." _'I know every one will like me better with bigger boobs.'_ She added as an after thought.

-

Botan was relieved when morning finally came. Her dreams had been plagued with thoughts of Hiei telling her she was ugly, her team mates telling her she was inadequate, and big-busted women running around, stealing all of Hiei's attention away from her.

She looked at the mirror one last time as she and Yukina stepped through the swirling portal. They appeared in front of a desk in a small medical office. She informed the man at the counter of her appointment, which she had made yesterday as Hiei was stuffing his face with ice cream to avoid her.

Ten minutes later a nurse came out and collected her. As soon as they were in the small surgical office, Botan felt very nervous. "I want to look like this. Just the bust and the stomach." She held up a picture of herself from before she had died. The nurse nodded and the procedure began.

-

Botan walked out of the office some hours later, feeling weak and light headed, but altogether much happier. She saw Yukina and burst out into giggles. "Your brother won't avoid me now!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, making everyone in the waiting room stare at her oddly. "Botan, calm down." Yukina put her hands on the ferry girl's shoulders, trying to stop her bouncing. She couldn't help but notice what Botan had changed.

Her chest looked like it was about three times the size it had been this morning. Probably accentuated by her new, flat stomach. "Oh Yukina. I can't wait to see how Hiei likes this body…my other one obviously wasn't good enough for him…he wouldn't even look at it. But if he ignores me now, he must be gay." Botan threw her arm around Yukina's shoulder, breaking the koorime's grip on her.

"You'll want to keep an eye on her for a couple of hours." The nurse said with a serious tone, making Yukina shiver. "Ok. Thank you, I will." The nurse was about to go to the next patient, but figured he should inform her about the swelling. "Be sure to inform Botan in an hour, when she starts going back to normal, that the size will go down a bit. It's just a bit swollen." He gestured awkwardly to her chest, he hated this job sometimes.

Yukina nodded and led Botan out of the office and into a portal. The whole way all she could think was, _'Well…my dear brother will definitely not be able to ignore his hormones around her anymore.'_

-

Hiei hadn't been home when they'd gone through the portal. He didn't come home all night, and after she got back to normal, Botan was so nervous. She wanted Hiei to like her new body so much that she almost started crying and had to lock herself in the bathroom so Yukina wouldn't see.

At three thirty in the morning, Botan drifted off to sleep, realizing with her groggy mind that she was depending on Hiei's attention too much.

-

"Damn!" Botan was woken up by various whispers and low whistles the next day. She pushed herself out of bed and found that she was surrounded by Yukina, Keiko and Shizuru.

"Damn girl, nice implants." Shizuru said with amusement laced through her voice. Keiko was fidgeting a little, obviously a little concerned. "So…how do they feel?" She asked awkwardly, making Botan frown. "I hate them to be honest. They're heavy and uncomfortable. But it had to be done." She really didn't care for the extra weight, but she thought Hiei might like them.

Shizuru chuckled at Botan and pulled the blue haired woman up off her bed and pulled her out into the hallway with Yukina and Keiko following close behind. "What's going on guys?" Botan asked groggily, feeling that it was too early for her to be moving around.

"Downstairs. We came to say good bye." Keiko supplied with a smile, making Botan try and free her wrist from Shizuru's grasp. "At least let me put on some clothes!" "No time. We leave in five minutes." Shizuru said quickly, tugging the fussing blue haired woman down the stairs in her pajamas.

"Oh my god!" Yusuke had been the first to notice the change in Botan's appearance as she was dragged into the living room. Of course as soon as she got near him, Keiko slapped him for even looking.

Botan crossed her arms in front of her chest self consciously and glared at Yusuke. "Keep your eyes to yourself pervert." She scolded, earning a raised eye brow from the detective. "You know you wanted the attention." He said cockily, earning another slap from Keiko.

"Not from you." Botan muttered bitterly, noticing that Hiei was once again ignoring her presence. He'd taken one look at her and quickly started a conversation with Kurama so she wouldn't talk to him.

"Botan's got a boyfriend!" Kuwabara shouted excitedly, upon hearing her muttered words. He and Yusuke exchange a look and began chanting, "Botan and her boyfriend, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

The bluette crossed her arms and tossed her head in the air, "Hmpf. I do not! As it just so happens, I'm to be married soon." The boys, all but Hiei, froze completely. "Since when have you had time to run off and fall in love between missions and ferrying? And who is he?" Yusuke asked suspiciously, he hardly had time to sleep between missions and school, was his assistant doing less work than him?

Botan flinched, "Uh…well, I really don't know. But it's an arranged thing. Don't worry…I'll probably be paired with some one I'll spend all my time hiding from." _'Unless of course it's Hiei. In which case, I'll probably spend all my time hiding out with Hiei.'_

Hiei shot a glance over at her, secretly using his jagan eye to probe her mind. He felt heat spread throughout his body, starting in his stomach, spreading up to his face, and down to his pants. He realized, in a moment of horror, that the entire team was still in the room, and would tease him mercilessly should he be seen so…flustered.

Botan seemed to be feeling a similar way because she narrowed her eyes at the others, "Don't you all have a vacation to get to? I didn't spend all my money so you could miss the reservation." "Yeah, yeah, we're going missy. Have fun with Hiei-" Shizuru was met by two glares, one from Hiei of course, and the other from sweet little Yukina. "And Yukina of course. Though I won't be surprised if we come back and you've been cooped up with Yukina inside this house for a month." Shizuru winked at the blue haired woman as she grabbed her brother's arm and dragged him out of Yukina's house before he start on his tirade of love.

Keiko followed suit pulling Yusuke, who instantly started to complain. "Keiko! I'm not done teasing Botan! And why isn't Kurama being dragged out like a dog being led to the vet!?" Kurama rolled his eyes at the detective, "Because I'm not going, Yusuke. I have a different vacation with my mother to a lovely spa retreat she is fond of."

Yusuke glared at Kurama until Keiko tossed him into the van her parents were driving.

-

Botan dove towards the stairs and started to climb as quickly as she could. She just couldn't stand to be in the same room as some one who obviously hated her.

-

Hiei and Yukina watched the blue haired ferry girl bolt up the stairs and neither moved until she was out of sight.

"Brother go do it right now. Dragging out the inevitable any longer is just going to hurt and confuse her even more." The ice apparition pleaded with her brother, unlike him she was not oblivious to Botan's pain. She knew the exact cause of it as well.

Hiei had no intention of going to Botan's room just yet but he knew that Yukina wouldn't stop harassing him now. He began walking up the stairs, silently pondering what his dear sister had meant by Botan being confused and hurt.

* * *

Ta-da Chapter three!

Took me for-freaking-ever to think of and write. Sorry!


	4. Author's Note

**Hey, it's me. I am soooooo sorry I haven't updated in months.**

**I kinda lost my writing mojo back in September. I do however have a new chapter for "Summer Heat" and the new chapter for "Just One More Chance" is half done. Warning, however, it is a sad one!**

**I'm going to try my very best to make sure there's no mistakes in the things I post, but I don't have microsoft word anymore. (My computer came back from the shop without it. God only knows WHY.**

**Therefore I am typing these chapters on wordpad. So...yeah.**

**Anyways, sorry again. **


	5. Chapter 4

**-Chapter four-**

The hours dragged on and on as Botan walked through the mall, her gracious ice apparition host right beside her, carrying a third of the bags. As Botan had not had her current measurements in years, she had needed a whole new wardrobe.

"You have an awful lot here Botan." Yukina said softly as the ferry girl made her way to another store. "True; I do have a lot. But these are all on Koenma's tab. And he knows not to cross me." She lead the ice apparition into the small clothing store she had over looked as they had come to the mall.

She really didn't need or want this much clothing; she just wanted her revenge on Koenma. That toddler boss of hers knew better than to tick her off; and he should have known she'd be mad about him refusing to let her mate with a demon. She was just as good as any other woman! And she'd make sure Koenma knew it!

"Couldn't you just ignore him as payback?" Yukina asked, she agreed Koenma had been out of line, but spending all his money seemed cruel. "This is the only way Yukina. I've ignored him far too many times."

-

The front door of the almost empty house opened quickly as Botan and Yukina approached the front porch. Hiei was, once again due to the immense heat, wearing only his black pants. By chance he had spotted them coming up the walkway, each carrying a large amount of bulging bags.

He raised an ebony eyebrow as he noticed that they were all stuffed with clothing. Botan ignored his questioning glance, not in the mood to be mocked. Which in itself was very odd. Botan had always cherished every nasty comment from the fire demon's beautiful lips, but she had also taken them too much to heart sometimes.

She pushed her way past the fire demon, leaving an astonished look on Yukina's face. Never had the ice apparition seen such behavior from the ferry girl. Something had to be wrong. She gave her brother an apologetic look and followed Botan up the stairs, it was time she got to the bottom of this.

Botan dropped her things on the large bed in the guest room. "I don't get it Yukina!" She cried out in frustration. "He ignored me this morning too! The only reaction I've gotten from him in two days is a questioning look over bags of clothing! Why doesn't he like me!" She slammed her fists against the bed.

Yukina felt her heart seize up in grief for the ferry girl. Oh her brother really needed to conquer his pride! "Oh Botan…it's not that Hiei-kun doesn't like you…" "Yeah; it's that he HATES me!" Botan wailed, clutching the soft blue blankets in her fists.

Hiei heard the loud wail from the living room as he tried to take a nap on the couch.

"Botan, he doesn't hate you." Yukina said, trying to reassure her distraught friend. She placed her hand on Botan's shoulder and heard footsteps coming up the stairs. "I'll be right back." She whispered, rushing out of the room.

"Hiei Jaganeshi!" Yukina said sternly, pointing her right index finger at her brother, making him freeze halfway up the stairs like a child that had been caught sneaking in in the middle of the night. "I told you; I told you how you were hurting her!" She muttered angrily, and an angry Yukina was not a common sight.

"No you told me she was hurt and confused. You didn't tell me why she was hurting." He said quickly, taking a step back from his now advancing sister. "It was implied, brother! She's hurting because she believes you hate her, she may even stop loving you if you don't go and tell her the truth." He swallowed hard, his sister was rather scary when she got like this.

"What good is telling her I only want to have sex with her going to do." He hissed. "It's not like I'm madly in love with her. My body might crave her, but my heart does not." He locked his sister in a stare down, angry red versus angry red. They could both tell this was going to end badly. "Get out. Get out of our house until you get it through your thick skull that you do love her! I can see it, so why can't you?" She closed the last foot or two of distance between them and smacked her brother across the face. "Go!" She said angrily, making her brother stumble back in shock.

It wasn't so much that she had hurt him, that had shocked him, as it was that his dear, innocent sister had just slapped him and told him to leave. He turned on his heel and sped out of the house; he needed to think things over.

Yukina watched her brother leave before returning to Botan's room. "Why don't you get some rest Botan. I'll come get you when I finish making dinner." She watched her crying blue haired friend crawl into the middle of the bed, sometimes she wondered how Hiei could be her brother. He was just so dense sometimes.

-

Yukina stood in front of her refrigerator, none of the food she had bought yesterday looked even remotely appealing. She needed to find some comfort food for her poor friend. She opened up her freezer, remembering a frozen pizza she had bought last month. It was triple cheese and double meat. That would be perfect.

She pulled the box out of the freezer and set the pizza on a pan. She opened the cupboard above her sink and pulled down a bottle of fancy wine that Kuwabara had bought and given to her last Christmas. She wasn't sure if Botan liked wine, but she did know it was a good way to forget sorrow.

She placed the pizza in the oven when it reached the right temperature and went into the living room. She knew she had Botan's favourite movie here somewhere.

-

Botan woke up to the sound of Yukina shouting angrily at someone. She climbed off the bed and made her way to the stair case. She could see the ice apparition was on the phone, but she couldn't make out who Yukina was shouting at.

The sad ferry girl made her way downstairs as Yukina hung up the phone, and she was swept away by the delicious smell of pizza. "Mmm." She sighed as she walked into the kitchen, making Yukina smile.

"I'm sorry I woke you up. The pizza is almost done though. I thought we'd have a girl's night in. With pizza, wine, and a good romance movie." Botan cracked a smile at her teal haired friend, "Yukina, you are just amazing, you know that?" Botan had never thought anything sounded more inviting. It would be a nice way to relax.

-

The living room echoed with laughter as Botan and Yukina talked during the movie, pointing out characters that were like their friends. The bottle of wine was on the coffee table, two-thirds empty. Botan's face was flushed red from the wine, much like Yukina's. The pizza was almost gone, but the two didn't really notice.

"Shhh…shhh…I love this part." Botan said sloppily, pointing to the TV.

* * *

"I don't know why I did the things I did okay!" The lead male character shouted at the angry heroine, whom was up on her balcony, ready to throw a bucket of ice on him. "I was stupid! I love you, and only you, I know that now!" He shouted desperately, making the heroine scoff.

"I don't care you bastard! You took my heart and you broke it!" She emptied the bucket of ice over the balcony, smirking in victory as he threw his hands over his head to protect himself from the falling ice.

(not a real movie, as far as I know)

* * *

Botan started giggling, "I really envy her at this point. She realizes that she doesn't…what's the word…_need_ the jerk to be happy!" Botan sighed dreamily and picked up her glass of wine, "I wish I could be strong like that." She stood up and stretched her arms, a smile spreading across her face. "In fact…if Hiei were to show up right now…I would totally dump a bucket of ice on him from two stories up!"

Yukina smiled drunkenly at her friend, "Sure you would Botan. But you know he'd be too stubborn to shout his love for you loud enough for the whole street to hear." The teal haired ice apparition pulled Botan back onto the couch and giggled, "Hell he's to prude to even admit to himself that he loves you. But I know…I can see it."

Botan blinked a couple of times in shock, "What'd 'chu say?" She asked, slurring her words slightly. "I said he's too stupid to realize he loves you. I kicked him out of the house because he kept denying that he loves you!" Yukina wasn't really aware of what she was saying at the moment, the wine had seized control of her brain.

Botan slumped against the cushions on the couch, gulping back more wine. "You must be drunk Yuki-chaaaannnnn. He hates everything about me." The two women stayed silent for the rest of the movie, quickly finishing the bottle of wine and opening a new one.

-

The morning sun blared through the windows, falling mercilessly upon the sore eyes of a Rekai ferry woman and an ice apparition. They both groaned and sat up at the same time. "God…my head is killing me Yukina…" Botan mumbled, grasping her head in her hands as she tried to remember the night before.

Yukina nodded, "Mine too." She tried to stand up, only to fall back onto the couch. "How much wine did we drink last night?" She asked the ferry woman, unwilling to open her eyes and find out.

Botan counted the empty bottles on the floor and groaned as her stomach churned, "Two bottles of wine and, by the looks of it, two cases of beer." She couldn't remember where they had gotten the cases of beer from, but she was sure she had seen them somewhere around here before.

-

The two women cleaned themselves up in separate bathrooms.

Botan was the first one to go back to the living room, "I'll start cleaning up Yukina!" She called up the stairs to her hung over friend, earning only a grunt in response.

She grabbed an armful of empty cans and dragged them into the kitchen. As she went back to grab more, she heard someone pounding on the door. With a painful groan she went to open the door.

She was mildly pissed off to see two door-to-door salesmen on the door step smiling at her. "Sorry. Too hung over to care at the moment." She shut the door quickly, ignoring the shocked look on their faces.

She grabbed more cans, bringing them into the kitchen. There was another knock on the door and she growled as she went to open it. It was the salesmen again. "Don't like the hung over excuse? How about this one: I drink blood to stay alive, grrrrr…" She bared her teeth at them, slamming the door shut again. She took a small amount of pride in the disgruntled shriek they gave her.

She continued to clean up the empty beer cans and wine bottles, chuckling to herself as she watched the salesmen walk away from the house. Now, normally she would have indulged them, just to be polite of course. As death, she really didn't need or want their crappy products.

-

Yukina stumbled down the stairs an hour after Botan had shouted that she was going to start cleaning.

She found that the living room was spotless, and Botan was already unconscious on the couch again. Yukina smiled and was about to follow Botan's example when the front door opened and Hiei stepped into the house.

"Did you realize that you love her yet?" She asked her brother coldly, making him shiver. He nodded slowly, hoping his sister wouldn't see though his intentions.

He refused to believe that he was in love with Botan, but the urge to taste her, to hold her close was too great to resist.

Yukina narrowed her eyes at him, "I know you're lying." She said blatantly, trying to keep her voice low enough to not wake up Botan.

He groaned and dropped to his knees, "Don't throw me out again!" He begged, kissing his pride good bye, "I crave her so badly; I don't think I'll last another minute with out her."

Yukina sighed and softened her gaze, "That is called love, brother. Not lust. Love. You. Love. Her."

Botan heard the voices around her and groaned, her head felt like it was splitting in half. "Shhhhh, hangovers hurt. Be quiet." She moaned, unable to identify the voices because they were echoing in her head.

Yukina shot a look at Botan and sighed. "Well, you'll have to wait until tomorrow if you want her brother. She needs to rest, and so do I."

-

Night had settled in by the time Botan had woken up, feeling much better. She sat up, unaware that she was definitely not on the couch she had fallen asleep on.

She heard a movement to her left and her eyes shot open, revealing the dark bedroom, lit only by candles.

"What the hell?" She looked around, spotting Hiei fast asleep against the wall. Or he appeared to be fast asleep anyway.

She took a moment to look around and decipher that she was still at Yukina's house, and that she really needed to use the bathroom. So, with little effort, she hopped off the bed and padded her way to the en-suite bathroom. She looked back curiously at Hiei's hunched form before shrugging and closing the bathroom door.

As soon as the click was heard, Hiei's head shot up and he looked around quickly. He stood up, after noticing that Botan had gone into the bathroom, and stretched his back. He couldn't for the life of him remember how he had gotten here. The last thing he remembered was chatting with (more like being yelled at by) Kurama.

He could vaguely recall drinking some herbal tea that the kitsune had prepared for him. Then, nothing. That's as much as he recalled.

Botan looked into the mirror before her and sighed. She just wasn't used to looking like this again. But, perhaps she would just go get it undone. It's not like Hiei had really seemed to notice or care. So obviously she could get it undone. With a sigh she opened the door and left the en-suite bathroom.

Her eyes instantly landed on Hiei's puzzled face, as he seemed to be trying to recall something. "Hello Hiei. What are you doing in here? And how did I get to the room?"

Her voice broke him out of his dazed state of mind and he looked her straight in the eye. "I have no idea." He said simply, earning an odd look from the blue haired ferry girl. "Riiggghhhhhttttt. Okay then. Would you like to see if Yukina has made any food?" She casually gestured towards the door, suprising herself with how calm she was. After all, she had no clue how she had gotten into the room.

He closed his eyes for a moment, trying again to recall what had happened, before nodding and following her out of the guest bedroom.

Botan bounced down the stairs and grinned as she slid into the kitchen and hugged Yukina from behind. "How's your hangover? All gone yet?" The ice apparition bit back a smile and pryed herself out of Botan's grasp. "Mostly. I ordered some Chinese food. It'll be here in half an hour."

Botan nodded once, acknowledging that she could wait for the food. "Well, I'm gonna watch some TV then." As Botan bounced out of the kitchen, Yukina shot a glare at her brother. "What did you do to her?" She hadn't been able to sense the ferry girl at all. She had only felt her brothers pressence, _doubled_.

He gave a surprised look and scoffed, "I don't even remember coming back here, how am I supposed to know what you're talking about?" As he crossed his arms defiantly Yukina gaped at her brother. "What do you mean you don't remember? You _begged_ me not to throw you out again."

He scowled and tossed his head to the side, "I did not. I do not beg. I take what I want and that's that." The koorime closed her eyes and tried to keep her cool by picturing the nicer side of her twin. "Oh but you did, didn't you? You laid a claim on her as soon as I went to sleep."

Botan walked into the bathroom, again, and grabbed a scrunchie off the marble counter. Her hair was irritating her to no end. As she pulled back the long blue strands of hair she spotted a small bruise at the base of her neck. She tied her hair back quickly and leaned in closer to the mirror, trying to figure out what the mark was.

"I bet Yukina'll know. She's way smarter than I am." She told her reflection smartly before leaving the bathroom. "Oh Yukina! You're smart, can you tell me what this is?" She bounded into the kitchen and stretched out her neck so that the koorime could get a good look at it.

Hiei peeked over his sisters shoulder and, had he been anyone else he would have yelped in surprise. His eyes went wide as the coppery taste of blood suddenly rushed back to him. He raised his hand to his mouth, spotting smudges of blood on his palm. Just what in hells name _had_ he done?

"Botan-chan, I'm surprised you don't know." Botan bit her lip, "Well, I have an inkling of what it might be, but it's completely ridiculous. It's also quite impossible." Yukina sighed, "Well, go clean off the dried blood and I'll take a closer look at it in the bathroom." She pushed the ferry girl out of the kitchen before she could protest.

Hiei was too busy studying the blood on both his hands and his right wrist. "I...I..." He was speachless. "Now do you remember what happened?" He shook his head, "The last thing I remember is drinking tea at the fox's house."

To this the koorime raised an eyebrow at her brother, "Kurama and his mother arrived in China, at their Spa, last night." And with that she hurried into the bathroom, leaving her confused brother to ponder just _who_ he had been talking to then.

As soon as she entered the bathroom, Botan gave her a grim smile. "It's exactly what I think it is, isn't it?" Yukina sighed and nodded, "Congratulations, you now have a mate." Botan looked at it closely in the mirror and groaned. "Can you at least help me figure out who did it?"

"Botan-chan, who was beside you when you woke up?" She knew Botan had already pieced this together and was just looking for confirmation. "So...Hiei...Hiei marked me as his mate?" There was a hint of happiness beneath her worried tone. "He said earlier he didn't remember how he got here."

Hiei cautiously approached the bathroom, he wanted to hear Botan's reaction to the mark. Maybe she would want him too? "Botan, he seems to think he was talking to Kurama last night." "But Kurama was in China last night. Do you think who ever he was really with...drugged him?" There was a hint of noticable dissapointment in the ferry woman's voice.

Botan was distressed at the thought of Hiei only marking her because he was drugged. Yukina shrugged, "They may have. I should have guessed something was up when he was begging on his hands and knees for me to not throw him out again."

Hiei snarled silently, his sister was embarrassing him in front of his mate. He could not stand for this! "I told you I don't _beg_." He said angrily, before he could stop himself. "And don't flatter yourself. That's not my mark. Why would I ever mate someone as pathetic as you." He snarled at his mate.

Yukina gave her brother a horrified look. "Hiei!" She couldn't even think of anything to say.

Botan felt tears prick at her eyes and swallowed hard, "I t-told you Yukina. My t-theory was i-impossible." She pushed past Hiei and headed for the front door. She could feel her heart breaking a little with every step. How could that jerk do this to her?

She slipped on her favourite thong sandles and stormed outside, slamming the door behind her. Though the sun had gone down already, the air was still warm, making a fleeting feeling of glee pass through the ferry woman, her clothes from yesterday were prefect for the weather. But, that fleeting glee was surpressed by the heavy weight on her heart. "I am pathetic." She whispered sadly, "Letting his words hurt me so."

-

Koenma had been watching everything on his monitor, and he was very happy. All he had to do now was wait for his deity of death to come to him and ask him to kill Hiei. Then they would not be mates, and Hiei would not be the one who would take over the Rekai when he retired in two years.

-

Botan walked down the street, gazing ahead but not really taking in any of the sights before her. All of the stores on the street were filled to the brim with people, couples mostly. She watched the women holding up clothes for their men. They all looked so happy. She wiped away a tear and sighed, "Why can't I ever have that?"

-

Yukina was frozen in place as Botan stormed out of the house. She could not believe Hiei had just done that. "Of all the stupid, cruel things you have ever done," She growled, stalking over to her twin, "This is the one makes me ashamed to call you brother."

Hiei almost felt ashamed as he turned away from his sister, calmly leaving the house. He had a fox look alike to hunt down and slay. For tricking him into taking the baka ferry onna as his mate. And at such an inoppertune moment.

-

Koenma strolled down the golden hall of his palace, headed for his current favourite room. He smirked as he, in his teenage form of course (because he felt like a big man right now,) pushed open the door and greeted his faithful ogre, George.

"Hello Georgie-boy, excellent acting. I see a huge future for you, if you can trick Jaganeshi, you are a wonderful actor." The seven foot ogre sighed as the last of the potion he had taken wore off, turning his hair back to blue. "It's not that hard if you're almost an exact clone of Kurama." George said grumpily. Personally he thought Hiei and Botan would make a beautiful couple. But Koenma insisted that this was for Botan's own good. "You had better not be lying to me sir. I hate to hurt Botan."

Koenma waved his hand dismally, "Oh she doesn't _really_ like him. Besides her mate has to be reliable. Or else I have to find some one else that's trustworthy." The godling turned around, "Come on George. Let's go get some lunch, I'm in the mood for something fancy." Goerge followed Koenma out of the room, still feeling slightly guilty.

-

Botan walked into the club and was surrounded by ningen men and loud music in a flash. A tall blonde man in the crowd flashed her a friendly smile and held out his hand, "May I buy you a drink?" He asked, making Botan smile back weakly. "Why not." She replied, placing her hand in his and allowing him to lead her to the bar.

"So what's your poison?" He asked, gesturing to the wall of liqour behind the bartender. "Just a beer, would be fine. I don't feel in a fancy mood." With a quirked eyebrow the tall blonde man ordered two beers. "Wanna sit?" He asked casually, pointing to a table of five or so people to their left. "Sure." She let him lead her over to the table. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Nathen, and these are my friends; Kiyoko, Yoshihiro, Konrad, Jessy and Carl."

Botan smiled and bowed to the people at the table, "My name is Botan." Nathen handed her one of the beers as she sat down, seating himself across from her. "You know any english?" He asked casually, "Yes. I can speak several languages fluently, why?" He nodded towards the other two blondes at the table, Jessy and Carl, "They speak terrible Japanese."

-

After searching everywhere, and still finding no sign of the fox look alike, Hiei decided to try and find Botan and sort this out with her. Surely as death she could just ditch her human body for an hour and then the mark would vanish.

So he whipped off his bandana and opened his jagan eye, searching for her spirit energy. He was surprised that she was in the loud building across the street from his perch. Surrounded by ningen males. Not to mention the demons beside her. With a snarl he jumped down to the pavement and stalked into the club.

-

Botan sighed happily as she downed the last of her second beer. "God I miss being able to come out and do this." She said in her perfect english, earning laughter from around the table. Nathen watched as she stretched out and noticed the mark on her neck. "What's with the bite? Vivacous lover?" She brought a hand up to her neck and sighed, "Something like that, I guess." Beside her, Kiyoko grinned, "Ah don't hide it Botan-chan. We're all demons at this table. Ms. Deity of death."

Botan's eyes went wide. "How come I didn't notice? I must be out of practice." She felt pretty dumb, for not noticing that she was sitting with six demons. "It's because you're pathetic baka ferry onna." Botan was so startled by the voice behind her, that she threw her beer in the air. Bringing the sudsy drink down on both her and Hiei.

"W-what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be off romping with a tree or something?" She managed to surpress her quivering voice by channeling her anger towards the fire demon behind her. "Baka onna, you're lucky we're surrounded by ningens,-" "Or you'd kill me. I got it. Is there a reason you stalked me here?" This was easier than she thought.

Nathen, Kiyoko, Yoshihiro, Konrad, Jessy and Carl backed away from Hiei slightly as his aura fluxuated. "I don't need a reason. You're _my_ mate." Botan slammed her empty beer bottle on the table and stood up. She turned around slowly, "Oh so when I'm trying to make friends with demons, I'm your mate. But when I'm vulnerable and confused, I'm not your mate." She glared at him and snarled, "Well make up your damn mind, or maybe I'll just go back to Rekai. I'm sure the person Koenma wanted me to marry is a real sweetheart."

She turned around again, bowing slightly to her new demon friends, "Nathen, thanks for the drinks. But I really need to go now." She stormed out of the bar, pushing past Hiei forcefully. The fire demon watched her leave angrily, and the second the door closed behind her, he snapped out of his anger. "Damn it all to hell!" He shouted. He had done it again. "GET BACK HERE ONNA!" He roared as he ran out the door behind her.

Botan didn't even turn around as she heard Hiei fly out of the club after her. She took a sharp left down an abandoned alley and opened a portal to the Rekai. She knew exactly what she had to do.

Hiei made it into the alley just in time to see the last of his ferry onna's blue hair dissapear into a swirling portal. "Fuck."

-

Disgruntled, Botan stormed into the fancy resteraunt where George and Koenma were eating. "Koenma!" She said as loud as she could, trying to find the table that he and George were at.

Koenma smirked and stood up quickly, "Over here Botan!" He waved her over enthusiastically. Without a second thought, she launched herself at her boss and started crying on his shoulders. "I want you to kill me." She said quietly, her voice muffled by his chest. Koenma choked on the air in his lungs, "WHAT!"

"Kill me please! I want to retire, I don't wanna do this anymore." She tightened her grip around her boss and smirked into his chest, she had him right where she wanted him. "No, no no! This isn't what you were supposed to do. You're supposed to want me to kill Hiei. Not you!" "Huh?"

Goerge groaned, "I knew it sir. She really does like him! You lied to me. You made me hurt Botan!" By now the whole resteraunt had lost interrest and had stopped starring. This wasn't exactly new. Botan and Koenma always did random things like this. "Botan, wouldn't you rather I kill Hiei, and then you can meet the man I thought might make you happy?"

-

Hiei growled as he entered the resteraunt after Botan. "So the brat was behind this." He left almost as quickly as he had entered, he had to go find the real Kurama. He had to fix whatever Koenma did to him.

-

Botan walked through the front door with a light heart early the next morning. "Yukina! I'm back!" She called out, hearing a ruckus in the kitchen. "Yukina? Are you doing dishes?" She slipped her sandals off and made her way into the kitchen.

"What happened? It looks like the cupboards exploded!" There was food and broken dishes everywhere. Not one thing was untouched. Yukina was half on the ground, leaning over the now broken table. Botan rushed over to the ice apparition, not seeing the men hiding in the corner.

"Yukina, sweety, what happened?!" Yukina lifted her head to meet Botan's gaze, but didn't reply. "B-Botan...call H-Hi-Hiei..." The ice apparition grabbed onto the front of Botan's shirt and drew her close, "Call Hiei. O-or they'll k-kill m-me!" Botan just stared blankly at Yukina, oblivious to the men sneaking up behind her. "Run Botan!" Yukina shouted, pushing Botan away quickly.

"What? Yukina calm down. What are you talking about? Who's trying to kill you?" Botan tried to approach her distraught friend, but was stopped by two sets of large hands. "We are." Before the ferry woman had the chance to proccess what was happening, the man to her left jammed a needle into her arm and everything became black.

-

Hiei ran as fast as his legs would carry him, his jagan eye keeping a lock on his comrade's demonic energy. He had passed over into China hours ago, and he would no doubt reach this Spa and the fox by night fall.

-

Koenma glared daggers at the men on the screen before him. "I told you. Do not include my heir in your revenge scheme!" He slammed his fists down on his desk. He was livid. But this is what you get when you make a deal with demons. _"Yes well, if she hadn't come bounding into the house Jaganeshi's sister wouldn't have blabbed and we wouldn't have had to take her too."_

Koenma growled his discontent at the screen, "Hurt one hair on her head, and I'll rip you apart myself." The demon men on the screen snickered and laughed. _"You're not calling the shots here half pint. Our hostages, our rules. You have two days to deliver Jaganeshi or we'll kill both the wenches. And until then, I think some fun is in order."_ The screen went blank in front of Koenma and he cursed.

"George! Call Yusuke and Kuwabara right now!" The godling shouted , scrambling around to try and organize a mission for the two boys to save Botan, and Yukina, without them finding out he had set the whole damn thing up.

George scrambled into the room with a communicator in his hands, "Here you go sir." On the little screen Koenma could see, and hear, two disgruntled spirit detectives. "Yusuke, I know you are on vacation but this matter is important!" The spirit detectives stopped grumbling through the speakers and settled for glaring at the godling.

"Botan has been kidnapped!" He held up a file and recieved a dissapointed look from George, "Oh and so has Yukina. Now, I need you to go find Hiei! The kidnappers are trying to use Botan, and Yukina, to get Hiei."

-

Kurama was relaxing in a beautiful zen garden outside when he thought he saw a flash of black in a tree. "Couldn't be..." He said thoughtfully to himself, before looking even closer. He was taken aback by what he saw. A dreary, weary Hiei leaning against the trunk of the tree to stand. "Hiei?" He asked with a quirked eyebrow as he approached his panting friend. "What are you doing here?"

Hiei grunted and straightened himself out so he was standing up right. "Hn. Fox, I need your help." Kurama sighed and shook his head, "I leave for one day and the world falls apart. Well, let's go inside so you can relax for a minute." The red haired teen led his exhausted companion inside the Spa and into his room.

Hiei didn't bother to sit down, he began pacing about the room, exhausted yet restless. "Fox, some one disguised as you slipped me some kind of potion and when I awoke I found that I had claimed the baka onna as my mate." To all this Kurama raised an eyebrow and stared at Hiei. "I was under the impression you had planned to take her as your mate anyway."

Hiei growled and stomped his foot on the ground childishly, "I never said such a thing! And that is not the point! Whatever that potion was is controlling my actions whenever I get too near the baka onna!" Kurama's eyebrow stayed poised in its place as the fox sighed. "Let me guess, this 'potion' is making you do loving gestures towards Botan and she believes that you are in love with her?"

"No!" The short fire demon was nearly ready to rip his hair out in frustration; or perhaps, rip out Kurama's hair. "No! Everytime I try to straighten this out with the baka, I say something worse and she runs off crying like a weakling!" Now Kurama was slightly confused. Hiei truly believed that this was because of some potion? After a moment Kurama was fighting back a chuckle. "Now Hiei, let me get this straight." Hiei glared at his friend, "Stop laughing! This is not funny!" Kurama bit his lip to keep from laughing outloud before continuing. "I'm not laughing. Now, be quiet and let me see if I have this right."

"You ran all the way to the middle of China, to find me at this spa, because someone who looked like me slipped you a potion that is making you mean towards Boan, who you have also inadvertantly claimed as your mate?"

Hiei growled at the humor in Kurama's voice, but nodded. "Well then Hiei, I'm sure this will come as a shock to you, but, I have come to the decision that you have hit your head very hard on something if you think that your behaviour towards Botan is out of the ordinary. As for her being claimed as your mate...dreams are not reality unless you act upon them. So stop the day dreaming and actually mark the poor girl. She's been waiting ages for you."

-

Botan was the first to wake up and see the men talking to Koenma. She felt like ripping her boss's head off for what she was hearing. He had planned this all along. Well she was happy she ruined his plans. She could protect the poor, unconcious Yukina. Besides, she was Hiei's mate, even if by accident, he would be able to sense her being hurt; unless he were really far away.

She feighned unconciousness as the two laughing men turned around. She waited until they left the room to open her eyes again. "I should at least try and get Yukina out of here." She whispered, looking around to try and find the koorime. She spotted Yukina on the floor behind her and smiled, Yukina was still so pretty when unconcoius and beaten. She slipped her hands out of the ropes that were holding them behind her back and shook Yukina awake gently.

"Yukina, wake up. I need to get you out of here." She hissed quietly as the ice apparition slowly opened her eyes. "But the sutra's." Was all Yukina managed to say before Botan pulled her to her feet. "I'm a spiritual being Yukina. I can take them down for you. You have to go get to Yusuke and Kuwabara and give them my location."

Yukina watched wearily as Botan pulled the sutra's off the window. "But they want my brother. Not Yusuke." Botan pulled Yukina over to the window and summoned her oar. "Please, just get the boys. Hiei'll probably be ready to kill me when he sees you anyway. I'd prefere to die sometime after I recover from what these men are about to do to me." She forced her oar into Yukina's hands and gave her friend a big hug.

"I can't come with you because they'll just come after you again. I can convince them he'll come quicker if I'm here. Just hurry to the boys." Botan took one look at the window and took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing." She whispered, slamming her fist into, and through, the window, shattering it. "Go Yukina!" The ice apparition climbed onto the oar and took off. She looked back only once to see Botan being held by one of the men, and hit by the other.

-

Hiei scowled as he lay on the soft bed in Kurama's Spa room. The fox had refused to let him leave, at least until he had rested up a bit. "Stupid fox. I don't need rest. I need a cure." Kurama sighed from his chair across the room and placed his book on the small wooden table beside him. "I keep telling you Hiei, the only cure for love is confessing it."

Hiei scowled and crossed his arms behind his head. He refused to believe the idiot idea that he was merely in love. But perhaps that would be the key to getting out of here. "Hn. Maybe you are right for once fox." Hiei smirked as he heard his comrade choke on the air in his lungs. "Surely even I am not immune to ningen stupidity and feelings; I am surrounded by them at every hour."

Kurama was completely taken aback by Hiei's revelation. "I'm glad you are finally seeing the truth Hiei." It never even occured to Kurama that Hiei could be faking the conversation in order to get out of the room. "Now that you're ready to admit it to yourself, you need to work up the courage to say that to Botan. But, you may want to rephrase that a bit. It sounded condesending."

Hiei sat up, "I'll consider it. But I should hurry. When I left the ba-Botan was getting chummy with some demons." Hiei walked carefully over to the window and opened it. He was waiting for Kurama to clue in and restrain him, however it seemed he had sufficiently managed to trick the crafty fox. With a smirk he leapt out the window and headed back home. He had to get into Rekai and threaten the brat for an antidote.

-

Botan squirmed in the grasp of the large man that was holding her down. "Quit moving around girly." He said gruffly. "Accept your punnishment for letting our bait get away." The blue haired ferry woman quivered and bit her lip. It was now or never, if she didn't say something, they'd soon go after Yukina. "She was horrible bait! Hiei would never come for her."

The man standing before her, her blood on his fists, gave her a questioning look before launching his fist into her gut. "Oh yeah? Care to explain bitch?" She flinched and coughed up some blood. "She's not his real sister, just a look alike." Another questioning look was shot at her as a large foot came in contact with her side. "Oh so are you his sister then?" She shook her head, grinning as blood spilled out of her mouth and ran down her chin. "Better. I'm his mate. The more you hurt me, the more riled up he'll be when he gets here. He can feel every blow from hundreds of miles away."

The man stopped his fist half way to her face and smirked. "So that's why Koenma wanted to help us kill him. He defiled the deity of death herself." Botan nodded, and fell to the floor as the man behind her released her arms. "Well, perhaps this little slip up will work to our favour then. If that other bitch doesn't lead Jaganeshi here, we can just beat his mate until he goes insane and finds his own way."

-

Yukina spotted the boys heading to her house and sped up. She had to reach them now. She turned the nose of the oar down and allowed herself to nearly free fall all the way to the ground. "KAZZZUUUUUMMMMMAAAAAA!" She screamed, trying to get the attention of her carrot top friend. Said boy looked up and swore. "Yukina! Is that you?" Was all he had time to say before he was tackled to the ground by a teary eyed ice apparition.

"Oh it's horrible! They only came to get me, but Botan came and they got her!" Yusuke pried the crying koorime off of Kuwabara and looked her straight in the eye, "Who has Botan? And I thought you were taken too? Why, for that matter, do you have Botan's oar?" She blinked and took a deep breath. "These t-two men...they're working with Koenma. T-they're after my brother, Hiei." Just recalling the day was terrifying, she felt more tears roll down her cheeks, "Botan came home and I tried to warn her but they knocked her out and they took us North. When I came to Botan told me to find you, she said she'd distract the men, and she practically threw me out the window with her oar."

-

Hiei was running at top speed when he made it back to Japan and was hit with a sudden pain in his chest. It felt like something was ripping his heart to shreds. "Odd." Was all he could say as the pain stopped. He continued running at his prior pace, shaking the odd pain from his mind. He had a toddler god to find and kill.

-

Koenma paced around his office, he had not meant it to go this far! All he had wanted was Botan to marry a nice man and take over the spirit world for a couple of decades. Was that too much to ask?

"Koenma sir. With all due respect, you got what you deserved. You played with the fire of Hiei and Botan's love, and you got burned." To this the godling turned an evil glare on his ogre assistant. "They are not and were never in love! Hiei only wanted to screw her! His feeling were nothing above primal and would have hurt Botan gravely!" "Meaning she truely loves him."

Koenma resumed his pacing and grumbling. He had to find a way to fix this. "Well none of that matters now. We have to get Botan out of their hands before they scar her for life. These demons are known for raping captives." To this George gave Koenma a very nasty look, "And yet you had no problem allowing them to take innocent little Yukina."

Koenma rolled his eyes, "Stop with the negativity George. Hiei would have been there in a flash to save his beloved sister. If he saves Botan I'll never see them apart!"

-

The boys stood in the hallway of the great palace as they listened to George and Koenma argue. After hearing Yukina's theory about Koenma and running into a completely livid looking Hiei, the detectives had thought it best to check out their facts. Needless to say all three boys were pissed off now.

"Well, the shrimp and Yukina were both right Urameshi." Kuwabara said quietly as he leaned against the wall. "Only question now is do we kill the kidnappers or the toddler first?" Yusuke said solemnly. He for one could not believe how selfish Koenma was. To try and pry Botan away from the man she loved, and to hand an innocent woman over to known rapists. All for his own personal gain.

"I say we kill the baka toddler after he gives me the antidote. The baka onna can stay where she is. My sister is safe." Hiei yanked open the door to Koenma's office before the detectives had the chance to stop him.

He stormed into Koenma's office and grabbed the godling by the collar of his shirt. "It's nice to hear you have some faith in me, baka. Now why don't you hand over the antidote to whatever it was you had that fox look alike give me." His wine red eyes smouldered with hate as he bared his fangs at the godling. "W-why h-hello Hiei...I uh...have no clue what you're talking about?" Koenma knew it'd never work, but he just had to try and save his ass some how.

Hiei drew his sword and held it up to the prince's neck, "Wrong answer." George gave a disgruntled sigh, "I shouldn't save you, because of how selfish you have been, but I owe Botan." He reached into Koenma's desk and pulled out a small vile filled with a deep green liquid. "Here's the antidote. But I'll only give you the final ingredient if you promise to go save Botan."

Hiei turned his deadly glare to the ogre and snarled, "Why should I save that baka? She is nothing but trouble, it's her problem not mine." George gave a weak smile and shook his head. "Wrong. I happen to know you claimed her as your mate. And everytime those sicko's touch her, or hurt her, you're going to feel it. The beatings I'm sure you could handle. But when they rape her, they rape you."

Hiei scoffed and dropped the godling from his grasp, "If you're trying to scare me, it'll never work." Yukina watched everything from the door way and felt the tears start again. She couldn't believe her brother was such a monster. "Oh you're horrible brother!" She cried out, before turning around and running away down the hall. Yusuke nodded his agreement as Hiei watched his sister run off. "Dude, Botan risked her life to get Yukina out of that place. Of course, according to Yukina, Botan knew you would do exactly this."

Kuwabara twitched uncomfortably beside Yusuke. "Come on. Yukina's already told us where they got Botan. We don't need shrimpy here." Yusuke nodded and followed as the carrot top teen left the office, heading back for their portal. Hiei wasn't fazed in the least by George's words, but his teammates and sister had gotten to him. He hadn't exactly been aware that he owed a debt to the ferry onna. Let alone one this big. While he was content (or so he thought) to let the captors of his sister and the ferry onna make him a mate-less man again, he did not like to leave a debt unpaid.

Hiei snarled and stalked over to the ogre. "Give me the whole antidote now, or I'll just kill the ferry onna myself." George sighed, not the enthusiasm he had been hoping for, but at least Botan was going to be rescued. "Fine." He opened the bottle and dropped in a small leaf, turning the potion light blue. Hiei snatched the vile out of the ogres hand and swallowed it in one gulp. He felt the sinister anger towards Botan ease up and vanish, allowing a deep guilt to settle into his gut. "Oh god." Was all he said as he flew out of the room; he had to get there first and fix his mistake!

-

Botan looked around the room and sighed. "Alone at last." She stood up shakily and looked around for the scraps of her clothes. She felt filthy and disgusting, but inside she was relatively happy. At least she had managed to save Yukina from such a fate. Perhaps Hiei would be merciful and kill her quickly now. She found a dirty robe laying on the floor by the door and sighed. "That'll have to do I guess." She picked it up and pulled it on. It was surprisingly soft, warm, and clean. It was only made with a pattern to make it seem dirty.

She walked over to the window and stared out at the sky. The sun was up high. There were few clouds, but she didn't really notice. A movement at the far edge of the grounds had caught her attention. She thought she could see the outlines of Yusuke and Hiei. But it looked like they were fighting each other. She looked around for some way to catch their attention. All she had in this room was the stool she was sitting on, and some dirty blood stained sheets. And a broom.

She quickly set to work, tying the sheets stained with her blood, sweat and tears to the broom handle. Then she picked up the stool and looked at the large window. "They really ought to have been expecting this. I already did it once." She mumbled, launching the stool through the glass and to its demise four stories down. She grabbed the broom and ran over to the window shouting; "YUSUKE! UP HERE! YUSUKE SAVE ME!" She flapped the broom and sheets around like a flag, and cursed as she heard foot steps fast approaching her room. "HIEI!" She screamed at the top of her lungs as her captors burst through to door. "Looks like you did draw him here. Just as you promised." She gave a weak smile, "What can I say? He loves me. He bit me for a reason you know."

Yusuke and Hiei stopped fighting as Kuwabara burst through the bushes. "Geeze you two are fast." He panted, before noticing they were looking at something high up. He saw the bloody flag just as Botan was yanked back inside. "HEY JAGANESHI! WE GOT YOUR MATE!" Botan smirked as the stupid demon man leand out the opend window. Perfect chance. She slammed her elbow into the gut of the man that was holding her and rushed foreward to kick the other man out the window. Unfortunately, the other man caught her before she could.

"AND SHE'S BEEN A BAD GIRL! WE'LL JUST PUNISH HER UP HERE WHILE YOU ATTEMPT TO FIND YOUR WAY TO HER ROOM!" She groaned, "Not again." She felt she had paid her debt to karma already, why did she have to be raped a second time? "Oh don't worry, Botan dearest. We've had enough of your body. Now, we're just going to break some things until your little mate gets here. Then we'll kill you in front of him."

Botan smirked, "Oh you'll have to fight him for the honour of killing me if you wait. No doubt he's only here because he was given the antidote and horrified his sister." The two men glared at her, "So you lied to us?" She snorted, figuring she had nothing to lose now, "Duh. I am actually his mate, but only because he was drugged by Koenma. He holds no dear feelings for me." "So then why save his sister dearest?"

She hung her head and sighed, "Even if he does plan on killing me, I do not wish ill to his sister. She is a very sweet person." "How noble of you." Said the man before her as he slowly advanced on her.

-

Yusuke, Hiei and Kuwabara watched in horror as Botan was pulled back inside the window, anger swelling in Hiei's chest as the demon up above shouted about punishing his mate. Hiei bolted towards the door to the large estate with a snarl. They'd soon regret hurting his onna. He didn't even have to open his jagan to find the location of the room his Botan was being held in. He could see an ever so faint red line guiding him the way his heart knew was right.

Yusuke and Kuwabara quickly followed their short demonic teammate. They wouldn't let him do something stupid. "How the hell does Hiei know he's going the right way!" Yusuke shouted to Kuwabara as they tried to keep up to the fire demon. "The pinky string of love! It's just like me and Yukina! They're connected!" The carrot top shouted with a smirk and a spark in his eyes. He's no brainiack, but he knows a thing or two about love.

-

Botan groaned as the two men continued to pummel her. "Liars never prosper." She grit out between her teeth, knowing she had earned at least a piece of this punishment because of all the lies she had told in her time. She heard the speedy footsteps approaching the room and smirked. "Bad boys, what'cha gonna do? They're coming for you." She smirked cockily at the slightly terrified demon men before her. "You didn't think he would come, let alone my detectives at his heels, did you? Thought you'd have some easy fun?"

"We can take him." The one holding her said in a snotty tone. He refused to let his hostage see him scared! The shame.

Hiei burst into the room and tackled the man that had been hitting Botan before. "Get away from my mate!" He snarled, drawing his sword. Botan rolled her eyes at the fire demon she loved, "Again with this. I'm only your mate if I'm interacting with demons! That's it!" She stomped her foot down on the toes of the man behind her and shoved her elbow into his lower gut, breaking free of his grasp. "I'm outta here." She growled, stalking out of the room, being followed by three sets of eyes.

Yusuke and Kuwabara came around the corner as Botan stormed out of the room angrily. "I'm only his mate if he doesn't like the people near me. Jack ass." She pushed past the spirit detectives and headed for the closest stair case.

Hiei was heart broken as his mate yelled at him and stormed off. He climbed off the man he had tackled to the ground and ran out after her. The kidnappers exchanged an odd look but didn't really have any time to move before Yusuke and Kuwabara entered the room. The raven haired teen glared at the demon men and cracked his knuckles. "I don't know what's gotten into Hiei or Botan, but I'm ready to take their anger out on you." Kuwabara nodded and formed his spirit sword in his hands, "Urameshi and I know what you do to girls. You'll pay for hurting Botan!" And with that, the two teen rivals launched themselves at the petrified demon men before them.

-

Botan stalked out onto the grassy garden area and looked for a bench to sit on.

Hiei followed close behind her and launched himself at her as soon as he was in range. "Botan, I'm sorry okay!" The blue haired deity of death pulled her face out of the ground and looked over her shoulder at Hiei, "You're what?" She was sure she had not just heard those words. She had to have hit her head too hard and been hallucinating.

"I'm sorry. And I won't repeat myself again onna." She snorted and tried to push herself up a bit but found she couldn't move. "Hiei, get off of me please." She could feel her skin tingling and almost sighed out of habbit. This was more physical contact then she had ever had with the fire demon; her heart was all aflutter.

* * *

I'm not sure what to do from here...but I thought you'd appreciate the update at the very least...


	6. finale

As she looked into his deep red eyes, her heart stopped. Everything around her went gray. He reached out to touch her and she flinched. Suddenly, her skin was burning painfully, and her throat felt like it was closing, blocking air from her lungs. She struggled to push him off of her again. She had to get away from him.

Hiei felt her chest constrict and froze. It hadn't entirely occurred to him, until he smelled the horrific amount of fear rolling off his mate, she had been tortured. And he had been so desperate to set things right, he hadn't even thought of _how _she had been tortured. He leapt off her, filled with shame as she curled into a ball on the ground.

* * *

Yusuke held out his arm, stopping his carrot top friend from, barging into the gardens and, interrupting the scene that was going on between the ferry girl and fire demon. "Yo' Urameshi what're you-" "Sh! Quiet stupid! Can't you see what's going on?" Yusuke hissed as he smacked the taller boy upside the head.

* * *

Botan shivered. Now that she didn't have to be brave in order to protect Yukina-_that sweet, wonderful ice demon_-the weight of her sacrifices hit her with full force. **"Oh god."** She brought her hands up to her face and felt a tear break free. She had been rapped and beaten. She had let it all happen, knowing she may never live through it. She could have stopped it all. She could have fought back. But she did nothing. She chocked on a sob.

Hiei was lost. He had no idea what to do, she would flinch every time he tried to move forward. He felt as though he chest were being crushed, he felt dirty. His breaths became quick and shallow. He had never felt so hopeless in his life. So helpless.

* * *

The two spirit detectives watched as Hiei fell to his knees. Both their team mate and their bubbly ferry girl were on the ground shaking like abused puppies. "We need to get the girls here." Kuwabara whispered sadly, breaking Yusuke out of his trance. "What?" His mind just couldn't grasp the words his love-obsessed friend said. "We need the girls. Think about it man. What she went through in there." Silence followed as Yusuke handed his communicator over to the carrot top, his hand quivering ever so slightly.

Kuwabara swallowed a lump in his throat and dialed the number for Koenma's office. There was an answer before the first ring was even finished. "Hello?" The teen looked at the tiny screen, then to Yusuke, then to the scene before him. "We need the girls here. You'll live longer if you send them." He snapped it shut before the pint sized prince could respond.

* * *

A portal opened in the middle of the hall, startling Keiko and Shizuru, whom had been on their way back from the pool. George stepped out with a solemn grimace. "Botan needs you. Please follow me." He turned back through the portal, leaving the two women to follow.

* * *

Botan looked up as she heard fast approaching foot steps. She saw Yukina, Keiko and Shizuru running towards her. She choked back another sob as they fell to the ground around her and threw their arms around her. "Shhh, it's going to be okay Botan." Shizuru whispered in the blue haired woman's ear. "Why did you do that Botan! Why save me?" Yukina screamed, clinging to her dear friend.

Hiei looked on as the women crowded Botan. She was clinging to all three of them, and he felt his heart beat painfully. He wished she had held onto him like that. All he ever did was make her cringe away in fear.

The boys hung back and watched a small pile of black tear gems begin to build up in front of the kneeling fire demon as the girls slowly helped Botan to her feet. His shoulders shook with the force of trying to repel the horrifying images that Botan was reliving. It would have been easy enough to just push them out of his own mind, but he couldn't just leave her to suffer this way alone. He clenched his fists, summoning all the strength he had to try and bury the images far down in her mind.

Botan shuddered as the girls tried to lead her to the swirling portal that would take her to the rekai. When she passed Hiei she flinched. She could feel his demonic energy in her mind, stronger than she had ever felt, dulling her memories of the last twenty four hours. The taunting faces and voices grew fuzzy, releasing their grip on her nerves. Her muscles relaxed slightly and she turned to look at her mate, whom was now hunched over, digging his fists into the hard ground.

The glint of his tear gems made her drop to her knees beside him. Keiko, Yukina and Shizuru took a step back as the blue haired deity crawled towards Hiei. Yusuke smiled softly as he felt the sheer amount of energy the short fire demon was exerting. He nudged Kuwabara and motioned to the girls to give the couple some space. It was amazing how his anger had melted away. It was amazing how Botan's anger had melted away.

Hiei flinched as he felt a soft pair of arms wrap around his torso. He breathed in deeply as he realized that it was his mate holding him. His fingers uncurled slowly, and he shifted towards Botan. She gave him a gentle smile through her tears and pulled him as close as she could. He didn't push her away.

* * *

(one month later)

Koenma growled from his seat in the back row. All the effort he put into breaking them up and here he was, sitting in the church, watching the disturbed fire demon take his place by the minister. It wasn't fair.

The organ in the back corner, behind the wedding party, began to whistle out the traditional wedding march as the doors behind the seated guests opened. Dressed in pale pink dresses, the brides maids walked up the aisle, following the little red haired flower girl, hooked arm in arm with the groomsmen. The organ began to play louder as the bride stepped through the door way, arm in arm with the large blue ogre that would be giving her away.

The bags under her eyes from a month of horrific nightmares and little sleep were covered with make up, her shallow face hidden behind layers of her thick blue hair. Her tired eyes seeking out the only person she wanted to see. Hiei stood there, waiting for her, his own eyes mirroring her exhaustion. He had been up with her, every night, using his jagan to try and suppress the nightmares that plagued her. He rocked back and forth on his heels, fighting the urge to sweep her away from the ogre, away from the room full of people. He wouldn't have agreed to having the wedding so soon if the twisted godling hadn't forced it upon them.

Botan gave George a very quick hug as they reached the front of the chapel and he handed her over to Hiei. As soon as she felt her mates hand on her own she let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. His deep red eyes bored into her own and she felt al her worries melt away.

The minister cleared his throat as the couple stared at each other. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the official joining of two soulmates. They have been tested in the worst of ways since their joining, but have managed to survive. We bless their love, and wish them happiness beyond compare."

Koenma stood up abruptly, "I object!" He shouted, throwing his arms in the air and earning several very dark glares. "No body cares, brat." Yusuke shot at the toddler god. He couldn't understand why the godling had even been invited. "I agree." The minister said calmly, drawing the attention back to the front of the room. "Now, if I may continue, Hiei, master of the Jagan eye, do you still wish to be bonded to Botan the deity of death, until you yourself die?"

Hiei didn't hesitate as he responded, "I do." He didn't break eye contact with Botan as the minister asked her the same question. "I do." She whispered as loud as she could muster. She hadn't spoken in the thirty days before this, and her throat burned, but her heart leaped at the smile that flickered across Hiei's face. "I promise you, no more pain." He whispered into her ear as he pulled her close.

"Then I pronounce you mates, forever, for always. No force in heaven or hell can separate you now." The minister gave them a warm smile as Hiei leaned in and kissed his mate on the forehead. "Since the couple is having no reception, I bid you all adieu until the next wedding, or proclamation."

Hiei scooped Botan into his arms and fissioned out of the chapel, eager to be alone with his mate.

Though they would never be the same, and the nightmares would be a constant reminder of the horrors they had faced, Hiei and Botan looked to the future with the hope of one day having a family.

* * *

Okay I know it has been FOREVER since I've done anything with my stories and I'm very sorry. I just haven't been up to writing all that much lately. So I'm sorry this is short, but this is the final chapter for this story. Thanks to all my reviewers and my readers.


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